Brown announces £750m for Iraq action

Chancellor Gordon Brown has announced he is setting aside a further £750 million to help meet the costs of potential military action against Iraq.

Mr Brown has already set aside £1 billion for the Ministry of Defence in his pre-Budget report last year.

"Nothing should prevent us from equipping and supporting our armed forces who perform a great service for Britain, as our security services do too," he told the Commons.

In an Opposition debate on the economy, Mr Brown said money was already being "drawn down" by the MoD to meet the costs it was incurring.

Promising a full report in the Budget, he said the sum set aside had now been raised to £1.75 billion.

It was for "possible commitments to be drawn on, only if and when necessary".

The Chancellor told MPs: "This is a time of great risk economically and geo-politically and I'm sure most Members will support what I'm doing."

He added: "As far as security is concerned in these difficult days, we will do whatever is necessary to protect and make secure the British public."

A Treasury spokesman said the additional £750 million had been set aside for possible commitments and would be drawn down "if and when necessary by the Ministry of Defence."

Since Mr Brown made his original announcement of £1 billion in his pre-Budget Report, Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon has made a series of announcements on substantial deployments of troops, aircraft and ships.

The spokesman said: "Following discussions, it seemed sensible to take prudent action by setting this extra money aside."

It was not possible to say whether any further sums might be needed. "It is impossible to say, it depends entirely on what happens in the future," the spokesman said.